John

Check out all the previous John readings here.

John Reading Plan | Week 10, Day 4

Prayer

Pause for a moment of quiet and calm. To be fully present in both body and mind, inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Repeat this three times. Ask God to grant you His wisdom today.

Bible Reading: John 15:18-25

Read these verses three times slowly.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

Reflection & Questions

We saw yesterday that Jesus wants the disciples to have His joy. To love like He loved. To lay down their lives for others. But this doesn’t mean that they are going to be received with joy. In fact, their love might just result in being hated.

Jesus doesn’t want them, or us, to be ignorant of that fact, nor to misinterpret that hatred as they were doing something wrong. “Keep in mind that it hated me first,” he tells them. In these verses, Jesus lays out why the world had such a viscous reaction to Him and why His disciples are to be prepared for the same. Jesus explains that it comes down to where you belong: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you…. You do not belong to the world…that is why the world hates you.”

What does it mean to belong? It is to be a member of, property of, or rightly placed in a specified location. The disciple of Jesus is a member of the Father’s family, they are rightly placed in the Kingdom of God. They are no longer of the world. Jesus says, “I have chosen you out of the world.” He has plucked us out of belonging to the world and chosen us to be His. This new belonging we have, leads to an uncomfortable relationship with the world. We no longer feel like at home (we’re “just a-passing through”).

Just as we feel like we no longer belong, the world around us also picks up on that. They sense our differences. They see our joy. They feel our settled peace in God. It disturbs the masks that they have used to hide their pain and insecurities. It discombobulates their ideas of the meaning of life. Ultimately, it offends their pride. For some this leads to repentance and joy. For others it leads to stubbornness and hate. How people respond is not our responsibility. We are simply called to belong to Him.

1. What word or phrase from these verses sticks out to you today? Why?
2. How have people treated you because you belong to Jesus? How do today’s verses encourage you?

Prayer

Talk to God in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

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Questions?